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There's nary a tiger or bear to be seen in Oz The Great and Powerful (but a lion does briefly show up), a prequel to the events of The Wizard of Oz. Directed by Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man trilogy), this new visit to the fantastical world of Oz is visually stunning and actually not that bad story-wise either. It's fun while it lasts, but unlike the 1939 movie directed by Victor Fleming, this trip to the Emerald City isn't likely to become one of the most beloved films in movie history.

It's probably not even going to be one of the most memorable movies of this year.

Sam Raimi reunites with one of his Spider-Man stars, James Franco, for Oz The Great and Powerful, casting Franco as a shady, womanizing sideshow magician named Oscar Diggs. His carnival days are numbered when a jealous boyfriend goes on a rampage and threatens to kill him, making an escape from the carnival via his hot air balloon the only option if he wants to avoid a trip to the hospital. His put-upon assistant (played by Zach Braff) helps with his quick escape, and for a moment Oscar breathes a sigh of relief. But Oz The Great and Powerful (set in 1905) would be a very short movie if Oscar was actually able to make an uneventful escape from Kansas. Like The Wizard of Oz, a twister (of course) quickly appears and pummels the balloon and its occupant - ultimately landing them in a pond in the whimsical land of Oz. And like The Wizard of Oz, that's when color seeps into the movie and the story really takes off.

Once there, Oscar is mistaken for the Wizard whose presence in Oz has been prophesied. A pretty witch named Theodora (wearing black leather pants and played by Mila Kunis) not only quickly catches Oscar up on the details of the place where he's just crash-landed, she also falls for the charming magician. At about the same time, a flying monkey named Finley who, after being saved from a lion (maybe of the cowardly variety), pledges to be Oscar's loyal servant forever more.

The happy trio head down the yellow brick road, past the poppy field and past horses of a different color grazing, to the city where Oscar meets Evanora (Rachel Weisz) who is obviously not the friendly witch she's proclaiming to be. Prepared to accept the throne, Oscar learns from Evanora that in order to rule the Emerald City (and thus become the owner of Oz's vast amount of gold) he must break the wand of Glinda the Wicked Witch and kill her. But who is really evil? Will Oscar (nicknamed Oz even before he gets to the Emerald City) be the Wizard Glinda hopes he becomes, and why are the flying monkeys/baboons still able to freak me out now just as they did when I was a kid watching The Wizard of Oz on TV? More importantly, can the Munchkins go the entire movie without ever being able to finish a single song? It's a prequel so some of those answers are obvious, while the flying baboons answer will forever remain a mystery.

The Bottom Line:

Here's the deal and something to keep in mind as you read my summation of Oz The Great and Powerful: I walked out of the movie feeling entertained. Will I buy it on DVD and watch it on an annual basis? No. Will I watch it whenever it pops up on cable for years to come? Absolutely not. But it does have a lot going for it. It's one of the most beautiful films I've seen in the past few years, and it's the only movie since Avatar that I would absolutely recommend you spend the extra bucks on to see in 3D. The colors are not muted through the glasses as you'd expect given the format's track record. Sam Raimi uses the 3D to enhance the movie rather than just as a gimmick to poke things at the audience, drawing moviegoers into the world of Oz and creating an immersive experience.

Raimi and his crew have also created one of the most believable CG characters with China Doll (voiced by Joey King). It's an adorable character (and one of the strongest female characters of the entire movie - more on that in a moment) and sure to be a fav with kids. And the scene in which Oscar gently glues her shattered legs back together is heartbreaking and one of the most effective of the entire film. The flying monkey isn't bad either, as far as the CG work goes. The tornado, the battles between the witches, and the final fight sequence are stunning effects work.

However, Oz The Great and Powerful isn't without its flaws. Why are these powerful witches so dependent on a man to save them? And while Mila Kunis is wonderful in comedies, in Oz The Great and Powerful she's just not believable. Unlike Michelle Williams who is perfectly cast as as the good-hearted Glinda (who does travel in a bubble, just like Glinda from The Wizard of Oz) and Rachel Weisz who plays wicked so wickedly well, Kunis comes across like she's a kid playing dress up.

The entire opening bit in black & white, while successfully making us long for another viewing of The Wizard of Oz, gets Oz The Great and Powerful off to a sluggish start. Fortunately, the pace and the fun pick up once the action switches from a dusty Kansas town to the sparkling Emerald City.

GRADE: B

Oz The Great and Powerful was directed by Sam Raimi and is rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language.

Theatrical Release: March 8, 2013